Kelgorath, Risen from Bones

Main

Kelgorath, Risen from Bones
Biographical information
Other name(s):	Knight Champion of Death Instrument of War Taken by War Chiseled by Loss Vestige of Failure
Species:	Hive (formerly) Taken
Gender:	Male
Eye color:	Green (formerly) Blue
Political and military information
Affiliation:	Hidden Swarm (formerly) Xivu Arath's Horde Wrathborn
Rank:	Ascendant Hive Ultra
Class:	Knight (formerly) Darkblade (formerly) Taken Knight
Notable info:	Ascendant Champion of Xivu Arath

Cocoon

Kelgorath, Risen from Bones
Biographical information
Faction:	Xivu Arath's Horde Wrathborn
Rank:	Ultra
Class:	Knight
Combat information
Mission:	Cocoon
Weapon(s):	Cleaver
Abilities:	Summon Taken Summon Taken Shield Weaver High Durability Rapid Movement Immunity Shield

Coronation

Kelgorath, Risen from Bones
Biographical information
Faction:	Xivu Arath's Horde Wrathborn
Rank:	Ultra
Class:	Knight
Combat information
Mission:	A Hollow Coronation
Weapon(s):	Splinter Solar Mortar
Abilities:	Summon Hive High Durability Rapid Movement Fist of Darkness

Exorcism

Kelgorath, Risen from Bones
Biographical information
Faction:	Xivu Arath's Horde Wrathborn
Rank:	Ultra
Class:	Knight
Combat information
Mission:	Exorcism
Weapon(s):	Boomer
Abilities:	Summon Hive High Durability Rapid Movement Teleportation Dark Mass Fist of Darkness

Darkblade

Darkblade Kelgorath, Risen from Bones
Biographical information
Faction:	Xivu Arath's Horde
Rank:	Ultra
Class:	Darkblade
Combat information
Mission:	Heist Battleground: Mars
Weapon(s):	Hive Axe
Abilities:	Summon Hive Summon Wrathborn Immunity Shield Temporary Vanish Rapid Movement High Durability

Taken

Kelgorath, Taken from Bones
Biographical information
Species:	Taken
Faction:	Xivu Arath's Horde
Rank:	Ultra
Class:	Taken Knight
Combat information
Mission:	Operation Fulgurite (Abyss) Deep Dive
Weapon(s):	Taken Boomer
Abilities:	Summon Taken Summon Blights Immunity Shield Blight Shield Link High Durability Rapid Movement Melee Taken Burn Retaliation Swarm

Vestige

Kelgorath, Vestige of Failure
Biographical information
Species:	Taken
Rank:	Ultra
Class:	Taken Knight
Combat information
Mission:	Overthrow: The Impasse
Weapon(s):	Taken Boomer
Abilities:	Taken Burn High Durability Rapid Movement Teleportation Hive Melee

"This is the beast that hunts my Techeuns. What foul magics return it to life?"

— Queen Mara Sov

Kelgorath, Risen from Bones is an Ascendant Hive Wrathborn Knight and a champion sworn under Xivu Arath, God of War. He is first introduced as a recurring antagonist of Season of the Lost, having to lead the local forces of Hive, Taken, and Scorn to scour the Ley Lines that surrounded the Dreaming City in pursuit of Savathûn and the Awoken artifact Ager's Scepter.

Biography

Warring Allegiances

A Knight from the Hidden Swarm, Kelgorath built an esteemed reputation as the champion of death and was led by the surviving bloodlines of Crota. When the Hive suffered the losses of Oryx and Crota, many turned to Savathûn, the Witch Queen for aid. This changed with the arrival of the Black Fleet as Savathûn's interference forced her into hiding. In her absence, Xivu Arath sent her High Celebrant to the Moon to unify and consolidate the Scarlet Court into her image. However, the Warlock Osiris intercepted and slew the surviving descendants of Crota.

When Kelgorath learned the news of their deaths, he became disenchanted with the Witch Queen and one night renounced her as a heretic. He felt she was weak for allowing their deaths and his loyalty to his brood wavered. Kelgorath traveled to the depths of the Hellmouth to remove the scarlet coloring off his chitin and ground his flesh against the jagged serration beds. He found a new purpose by devoting himself to Xivu Arath after the Hive God and her Celebrant trapped Osiris with Hive runes and avenged their deaths by killing Sagira and stripping the Warlock's Light. This fueled Kelgorath with an insatiable drive for vengeance and his new path for war sought to eliminate all traces of the heretic Witch Queen.

He began a new life as a Wrathborn and relentlessly pursued the many enemies of Xivu Arath. In one instance, he battled a Guardian who managed to kill him numerous times. However, death was unable to end the Knight as he rose again through battle and was reborn. Nothing was able to escape his grasp, and Kelgorath finally slew the Guardian and gifted its empty Ghost core to defecting Scarlet Wizards.

In another tale, Kelgorath hunted an Awoken Techeun through the Ley Lines for three days. The fearful Techeun radiated a stench of fear that allowed the Knight to track her down and corner her. In desperation, the Techeun collapsed the Ascendant Plane onto him through her magic which resulted in his death. Kelgorath re-emerged in his next life with newfound determination to not be fooled again by her trick. When he confronted the Techeun a final time, the Awoken Witch mocked the Knight by saying he still bore the scarlet flecks on his chitin flesh and belittled him for abandoning his Witch Queen so quickly. Kelgorath, angered by her words, ripped off the crystal implanted on the Techeun's forehead and added it to his collection of war trophies.

He then gathered these ornaments of conquests and built a shrine; deep within the Ascendant Plane, from the bones of his foes to direct his tribute and worship to Xivu Arath. As Soulfire vanished from the ground, Kelgorath placed his head against his shrine and smudged a bloodied sigil of his new Hive God to show his devotion to war. The sky around him began to churn as Kelgorath inhaled the first breath of his new life. As he prepared to face his adversary, he glanced at the trinkets of his conquests and recollected his journey from killing the Guardian and Techeun to renouncing the Witch Queen. Still determined to eliminate any traces of the heretic sister, Kelgorath wanted to make an example of his adversary, Hurdru, as they still showed loyalty towards Savathûn. Through battle, he would confirm his allegiance to Xivu Arath and through blood, he would don her image of war and be one step closer to erasing Savathûn, raising himself from the corpse of his adversary as the Risen from Bones.

Hunting the Witch Queen

Kelgorath's first battle against the Guardian.

After pledging his loyalty as a servant of the God of War, Kelgorath led a raid on Titan after it had been absorbed by the Witness' power. Commanding a legion of Acolytes and Thrall, he slaughtered the remaining forces of Savathûn's Brood on the moon. Afterwards, he would offer the new conquest to Xivu Arath, using a ritual in which several Acolytes sacrifice themselves to invoke the God of War. She would accept her new servant and, as a reward, brought back to life Kudazad, Binder of Savathûn, a Wizard of Savathûn whose skull had been left adrift in the waves of Titan and used in the ritual.

When the Hive learned of Savathûn's ambition to remove her Worm, Xivu Arath ordered Kelgorath to pursue her heretic sister through the Dreaming City. The Guardian was also in pursuit of Savathûn for other reasons and entered the Ascendant Plane to bypass the Hive barricades, however, Crow informed them a Wrathborn was nearby. Kelgorath emerged from an Ascendant Portal and dueled against his new adversary with his Hive Cleaver. As the Guardian inflicted damage against Kelgorath, he gained an immunity shield thanks to Taken Shield Weavers. The Guardian turned the tide by defeating the Wizards and Kelgorath.

Later, Kelgorath rose again and undid his death. Xivu Arath commanded the Knight to steal Ager's Scepter from the Dozmary Vault. Mara Sov sensed that Xivu's minions would want the weapon for themselves and ordered the Guardian to secure it. As the Guardian was about to make their exit, Kelgorath re-emerged to confront them alongside Hive pillagers. Learning from the mistake of his past battle, Kelgorath armed himself with a Splinter and engaged the Guardian from afar. He also recruited more Hive reinforcements to outnumber the Guardian. However, this was not enough and Kelgorath was once again slain in battle.

Exorcism

Kelgorath's assault against the ritual spire.

Months after this, on the day of the ritual to exorcise Savathûn's Worm, Xivu Arath deployed Kelgorath, who had once again risen from death, to the Dreaming City alongside her brood in a final effort to capture her sister. Mara, who had anticipated an attack, called upon the Guardians to fend off the God of War's forces. After Kruutiks and Kholks had been laid low, Xivu Arath, in an act of desperation, ordered her Wrathborn champion to attack the Ritual Spire and prevent the exorcism at all costs. Now donning new armor and wielding a Boomer, Kelgorath entered the Spire through the Ascendant Plane and battled the Guardians, alongside hordes of Hive reinforcements. He would even summon large masses of Taken energy in order to wipe out his enemies. However, this would all be in vain as he could not match the power of the Lightbearers and would be once again defeated.

Darkblade of War

Kelgorath's attempt to lay siege to Mars

"CLAIM MARS; POSSESS THE WARMIND"

— Xivu Arath.

After his failings at the Dreaming City, Kelgorath would face judgment from Xivu Arath's soulfire projection at an invocation ceremony on Mars. An ornately adorned Wizard presided over the communal ceremony as they offered up his broken blade upon a ritual altar having failed the Knight multiple times. Despite his failure to prevent the exorcism or the Witch Queen's escape, Xivu Arath still found Kelgorath of use to her; enough to have his Cleaver reforged into a giant Hive Axe and giving him the title of Darkblade. For his first task given his new position, Xivu orders the Darkblade Knight to claim Mars and possess the Warmind's network.

The Darkblade would lead the Hive God's forces to Hellas Basin which was trapped in the past via a time slip, where they staked their claim over BrayTech Futurescape and the Mindlab containing the submind of Charlemagne. Though Kelgorath guarded the vault dutifully with his minions tithing to him, he would be forced to fight a fireteam of Guardians seeking access to the vault's data; the very same Guardians who defeated him in the Dreaming City. Despite his newly acquired power, Kelgorath fell to the Guardians one more; allowing them access to the vault before reinforcements could arrive. After the battle, the Guardians recovered what remained of Kelgorath's weapon: a Darkblade core that the Häkke Weapon Foundry would craft into a newly forged Glaive.

Taken by War

Taken from Bones stalks his victims on Titan.

"KELGORATH! TAKEN FROM BONES, CHISELED BY LOSS... RISE... A TEST OF METTLE!"

— Xivu Arath.

Following another humiliation at the hands of the Guardians, Kelgorath brought himself to a broken court of the High Celebrant where he would be taunted by the wizard, Rakthrin, War-Council, a member of Xivu Arath's War-Council. Remembering how he once served the Witch Queen, Rakthrin mocked him on how he could've found greatness had he still served the Witch Queen even as she turned over to the Light which angered Kelgorath who refused, wishing to continue his service to Xivu Arath with renewed vigor. Pleased with this, Rakthrin used her magic to crack the court's altar, revealing an emerald sliver of a blade, a piece of the Taken King's very own sword Willbreaker. Transfixed on the blade shard, Kelgorath agreed to Rakthrin's union, thereby allowing himself to be Taken, earning the new title Taken from Bones.

With his new form and power, Kelgorath would be sent by Xivu Arath to corrupt the egregore coral the Guardians are seeking to collect for their ongoing mission in helping Deputy Commander Sloane in strengthening her connection to the proto-worm Ahsa. During Operation Fulgurite, the Taken Kelgorath would stalk Sloane as the fireteam worked to collect the coral, but she fought him off; leading him to eventually confront the Guardians once more. Despite Kelgorath's persistence, power and being encouraged by Xivu Arath herself, the Guardians prevailed, slaying the Taken Knight once more and allowing them to collect the egregore coral.

Vestige of Failure

Kelgorath would rise once again in service to the forces of the Taken as Kelgorath, Vestige of Failure in the Pale Heart of the Traveler. He would be encountered by Guardians who were seeking to purge the corruption brought upon by the Witness within the Impasse. Even with this forces and shielded Taken Thrall, Kelgorath would fall once again to the Guardians.

Gameplay

Cocoon

Kelgorath will charge down the player's position and attempt to deal damage with his Cleaver, and will initially be vulnerable to all damage. However, upon losing a certain amount of health, he will become immune and spawn a Taken Shield Weaver that must be slain to remove Kelgorath's invincibility. Upon death, Kelgorath will reveal an Ascendant portal, allowing access to the remainder of the mission.

A Hollow Coronation

Kelgorath resides in an arena that can only be accessed by use of the exotic weapon Ager's Scepter, which would have been recently acquired by the player from the same quest. Upon entering the arena, the entrance will become blocked off by a Hive Barrier and the boss must be defeated to escape. Unlike the previous encounter, he is completely vulnerable and can be killed quickly with substantial damage. During the battle, Hive Knights, Wizards, Ogres and Acolytes will spawn. Heavy weapons are useful for quickly dispatching them. Once Kelgorath is defeated, the mission will be completed.

Exorcism

After Kruutiks and Kholks have been defeated, Kelgorath will teleport into the arena, bolstered by waves of Hive Thrall, Shriekers, Acolytes and Wizards, as well as Barrier Knights and Unstoppable Ogres. The boss will hold the far side while his Hive reinforcements attempt to overwhelm the fireteam. Players can take cover within Saint-14's Ward of Dawn throughout the fight, which will grant them the 'Weapons of Light' and 'Armor of Light' buffs. Once a significant amount of his health has been depleted, Kelgorath will kneel down and summon a giant mass of Taken energy, and a twenty-five second timer will commence. Players must destroy it before the timer runs out and the Dark Mass explodes, which will result in the fireteam wiping. Once it has been destroyed, the Wrathborn will teleport to the opposite side of the arena and call upon more Champions and reinforcements, now including Knights and Ogres. Upon reaching critical health, Kelgorath will teleport back to his original position and summon another Dark Mass to try and kill the players. After the Mass has been destroyed, the boss will once again become vulnerable and can be finished off quickly.

Heist Battleground: Mars

Kelgorath appears as the final boss of the Heist Battleground: Mars activity. When he appears, he will instantly charge at whatever player is closest to him at the full speed of a helmet less Darkblade. He will periodically teleport away from the players after sustaining damage, only to reappear to charge at the players again.

When he reaches half health, he will become immune, prompting the players to deposit arc charges dropped by the Arc-Charged Wrathborn into the core to activate the defense laser. While he is immune, he will instead move slower towards the players and strike with his axe when in range. Once all charges are deposited, he will become vulnerable once again and charge at the players once again until he is defeated.

Operation Fulgurite/Deep Dive

Kelgorath, Taken from Bones is the final boss of Operation Fulgurite (Abyss), as well as one of the possible final bosses of Deep Dives. When he is the boss, the Asphyxiator's Hollow will have additional patches of Blight, which are harmful terrain for players. At the beginning of the battle, Kelgorath will send forth Taken Psions, while he will be flanked by Ravenous Taken Phalanxes, and Taken Goblins will support all these groups.

For every third of his health he loses, Kelgorath will summon an immunity shield and two shielded blights will appear on two opposite sections, with reinforcements led by Ravenous Taken Wizards. Destroying the blights will make Kelgorath vulnerable again, but he will also gain a Taken Hobgoblin's Retaliation Swarm to further punish attackers, and reinforcements will again come to his aid. After the blights are dealt with a second time, Kelgorath will return vulnerable and can be slain once again.

Trivia

• Kelgorath is the second reoccurring fightable villain in the series. Reappearing for a total of five separate fights.
  • This is only equaled by Taniks, the Scarred, if his Nightmare is counted with Randal, the Vandal holding the most reappearances.
• Compared to other Wrathborn, that are mentally stripped to become empty vessels for Xivu's will, Kelgorath is still able to independently think and speak. While this is more commonly seen in his appearances in Season of the Seraph and lore in Season of the Deep, he was seen to speak in a ritual on the abducted Titan which took place presumably not long after becoming a Wrathborn.

Gallery

Cocoon

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A Hollow Coronation

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Exorcism

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Heist Battlegrounds

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Deep Dive

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List of appearances

• Destiny 2
  • Season of the Lost (First appearance)
  • Season of the Seraph
  • Season of the Deep
  • The Final Shape